Pagina 239 de 1391

'A great work, too, will have been accomplished by them.' Great,

yes, but not the greatest; for man is a social being, and can

only attain his highest development in the society which is best

suited to him.

Enough, then, of the causes why philosophy has such an evil name.

Another question is, Which of existing states is suited to her?

Not one of them; at present she is like some exotic seed which

degenerates in a strange soil; only in her proper state will she

be shown to be of heavenly growth. 'And is her proper state ours

or some other?' Ours in all points but one, which was left

undetermined. You may remember our saying that some living mind

or witness of the legislator was needed in states. But we were

afraid to enter upon a subject of such difficulty, and now the

question recurs and has not grown easier:-How may philosophy be

safely studied? Let us bring her into the light of day, and make

an end of the inquiry.